Well, anyway.... here's Chapter 2. It's terrible! (in a sad sense) *covers eyes* Oh, no! I can't look! I don't want to see Spottedpelt die.... *uncovers eyes* Whoops! I guess I just gave you guys a HUGE spoiler! In that case, AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH! *runs away* *sends a message back through my blowhorn* ENJOY THE CHAPTER!.........................................

CHAPTER 2

Runningkit

"Tornado!" screamed a cat. "Into the Stone Protection Den!"

Runningkit didn't know what a tornado was. He stepped up to his leader, Swiftstar.

"Hey, Swiftstar?" Runningkit mewed. "What is a torn...."
The kit's words were snatched out of his mouth as Swiftstar grabbed him and yowled, "Everybody! THE STONE PROTECTION DEN! IN! NOW!" and rushed towards it himself.

When they got inside two strong warriors that Runningkit knew as Clawface and Nightwhisker pushed the opening to the den closed as wind began to thrash around the sides of the rock.

Leapkit, Bearkit and Huntkit huddled close to their mother, Spottedpelt's side. Clawface circled back protectively and paced around the family, deep in thought. Runningkit sat with the apprentices Springpaw, Riverpaw and Harepaw.

The elders sat not too far away from them. Runningkit could hear what they were saying.

"I haven't seen a tornado like this since I was a kit," Mousefur rasped. "The circumstances are probably worse than a moon of cyclones." She looked over at the others. Cindernose closed her eyes as if considering something and Honeyflower nodded slowly.

"What do you mean?" Firefoot asked, his green eyes seeming to glow in the stiff blackness. Sweetsong and Longtail backed him up with quiet murmurs, too low for Runningkit to figure out what they were saying.

"I mean that this is the worst tornado that can happen and that a moon of cyclones probably can't measure up to the damage that this one spinner will do."

There were some chuckles around the den as Mousefur stated her words.

"True," Firefoot agreed, "But this is a pretty bad storm."

Longtail turned his sightless gaze on Runningkit. "I can feel you watching us," he panted.

Runningkit was taken aback. "Why – I mean, how?!"

Longtail's blue eyes glowed. "Being blind awakens the other senses, you know," he reminded Runningkit gently, and the black and white kit rolled his eyes. "Oh, yeah, right," he scoffed. "That's like, the BILLIONTH time you've told me!"

"Only because some cats can't remember," Longtail murmured, and flicked the kit's ear with his tail tip.

Runningkit sighed and turned away. Everybody always acted like he was helpless! "I am three moons old, and they should know that," he muttered to himself.

He walked over to where Leapkit was daring Huntkit to climb up the back wall of the Stone Den. "I dare you!" "No! Do it yourself!" "For a couple of mousetails, PLEASE?" "And why should I?" "Because I want to see what it's like, okay?" "Well, I'm not in the mood today!" "Okay, then, you can watch me…."

"De-de-de-de-de-da. Blah," Runningkit muttered as he turned away.

He saw Bearkit rush up to him. "Have you seen Spottedpelt?"

"No, why?" Runningkit asked, intrigued.

"Because I don't think she's in here!" Bearkit wailed.

"WHAT?!" Runningkit shrieked. This she-kit must be joking! "You…. You're not joking, right?" His foster mother wouldn't be lost if he could help it.

"No. SO WHERE IS SHE?!" the young dark brown kit wailed.

"I'll help you search…." Runningkit said just as Teddyfur announced, "The tornado is gone and the coast is clear!"

The cats who had been waiting to roll the stone back did, and all the cats looked out….

…. And Runningkit must have been the most horrified by what he saw.

Spottedpelt was lying unmoving in the entrance to Treefur's den.

"Spottedpelt! No!" Runningkit dashed over to his foster mother and pushed his nose into her fur. Meanwhile, Bearkit, Huntkit and Leapkit padded toward their mother on shocked, unsteady legs.

Longtail padded out of the Den. He focused his attention on the kits. Being blind meant you could feel other cats' feelings.... Jaypaw, in RainClan, had once told him he could do it before the prophesied cats came, and caused the Clans to split up. Now there were eleven Clans, Longtail realized. ThunderClan, which he had been a part of, WindClan, ShadowClan, and RiverClan, SkyClan, which Firestar had told him about many times on trips to the elders' den, SunClan, MoonClan, RainClan, which Hollyfrost, Liontail and Jaypaw lived in, and CloudClan, which he was a part of, and finally the two spirit Clans: StarClan, where the legacy of the first four Clans was held, and SkyClan, where the sky-element Clan lore was kept. All in all, there was a nice balance, Longtail thought.

Turning his attention back to the kits, Longtail tried to pick up some feelings from them. Sadness and anger battled in the younger kits' pelts, however, Runningkit seemed to be laden down with sadness, but some confusion lingered there too. Longtail wondered why.

He turned in Clawface's direction, and felt pride, anger and – could it be? - just the tiniest twinge of revenge. Longtail turned to Spottedpelt's dead body, and picked up her feelings and memories, which were starting to rise up into the air. He picked up the one he had been looking for and latched onto it, drawing it into himself, so he could read the memory.

"No! Please, Clawface, please don't do it!" a spotted she-cat protested as she was dragged along by a hefty brown tom.

"Sorry. It's the only way." There was some regret in the tom's voice, but he held strong.

"You were always too hungry for power. You needed a mate, kits, and an apprentice to be deputy, and then leader. Look, now you have all that." The she-cat's voice was scalding. "You never cared about me or your kits. Now you think that you can just get rid of me, eh? Well, think again. SkyClan will be angry," she warned.

"Ha! SkyClan? They don't even exist! They're just some.... some nursery tale to scare cats into submission. I'm sure that they are not watching down, will not punish me.... because they will punish you!" The tom bit down on the she-cat's leg, making her scream with pain. Then he bit the others, making her fall. She couldn't move from the spot she was in now.

"Good-bye, pathetic mate. Now I will get rid of those kits, too, especially that.... that Runningkit." He snorted and left, and the she-cat screamed as the tornado was upon her, and she was swirled up into its forbidding, spinning mass. Oh, SkyClan. What have I done? I'm dying.... ugh.... I bet that Clawface thinks it's a good riddance. Then, the memory ended, and Longtail guessed that the she-cat had died.

He gasped when he realized that he had just watched Spottedpelt's last moments.